Explore The World of VALORANT: Map design, Built Environments in Video Games
In the realm of virtual games and virtual worlds, map design and the importance of built environments remain integral to gameplay, particularly in the category of first-person shooters. Riot Games VALORANTThis is a fact that Riot is not denying. Riot continues to challenge the expectations of its predecessors in tactical shooter gaming by making fundamental changes to decades-old formulas that have been used in practice for many years.
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The Design philosophy behind the in-game maps of VALORANTIt is rooted in the need to accommodate the wide variety of characters that can be played within the game. Each character has a unique array of abilities and can also wield a variety of weapons. Each map’s goal is not to provide equal combat situations for all team compositions, but to push each map in a certain direction.
With this in mind, map design was centered around a specific gameplay experience relative it its structural geometry. This was further enhanced by adding map-specific mechanics such as ziplines and one-way-teleporters. Riots’ design intent for each map in VALORANT consisted of a focus on locations that were inspired by real places on Earth. These locations were only elevated with a few spectacular and awe-striking moments, and structural properties that were consistent with the lore associated with the world of VALORANT.
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The VALORANT Maps teamThe team includes level designers, 3D artists and concept artists as well as lighting strategists. They work together to track the development of a map and its structural properties, from greybox (the earliest version of a map), to its final iteration. This is a version that is ready and has specifically been designed for you, your player. Before wrapping and texture, the designers create basic architectural shapes and incorporate them into the map. The design of interior spaces is crucial, with the emphasis on color and lighting. The goal is to preserve the gameplay’s integrity, map clarity, and ensure that the player’s experience is clear.
Split is an example of an in-game map. Split, inspired by the city in Japan, is a city that has undergone a dramatic transformation due to events that occurred as a prerequisite for the game. In this instance, The world of VALORANT has made environmental storytelling a key component.These context clues will be highlighted in the map design to aid immersion.
Split focuses on city courtyards. This reflects the city’s progress from its traditional architecture to the advancement of technology. The progression of the map demonstrates this shift.
Once the foundations of map design are established, environment artists can then have their say and build upon them. The world of VALORANT is a place for environmental storytelling and world-building.. Different maps are littered by graffiti, props and other minuscule details to tell a story and bring the players deeper into the gameplay. However, player orientation is still an integral part of tactical shooter games. These fine details will not be visible to the player in order to keep angles simple and easy to navigate.
Riot understood that cities and bustling places can sometimes feel overwhelming. With player orientation and navigation being crucial to the first-person shooter experience and player orientation and navigation being key, Riot made sure players could concentrate on executing team strategies and not fighting the built environment. Each side of the city was given unique places of interest. These places were complemented by their respective sites. Riot also created a clean layout of space to help players build a mental and visually based understanding of how these places relate when they interact in the virtual environment.
This article is part of ArchDaily Topics – The Future of Architectural Visualizations. EnscapeThe most intuitive real-time rendering plugin for Revit SketchUp, Rhino SketchUp, Rhino Archicad, Vectorworks, and Vectorworks. Enscape plugs directly in to your modeling software, giving it a seamless visualization and design workflow.
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